Contents

Summary

Rocky is feeling depressed and so Rena calls for an animal psychologist. However the reasons for Rocky's depression causes the schoolboys to each dwell on the unhappiness in their own lives.

Plot

Teaser

Dr. Kagan was not a normal veterinarian...

Inside a vet, we see a woman bring her gloomy looking parrot to Dr. Kagan. Dr. Kagan is an eccentric looking man, dressed in a brown suit, curly hair and a serious face.

For he offered another service, in which he prided himself with the title of 'Animal Psychologist'...

Dr. Kagan begins looking at the parrot.

You see as well as receiving his veterinary license, he had a degree in Comparative Psychology. Because he wanted to help animals in every way: physically and mentally...

The woman with the parrot leaves the vet, looking much happier. She passes Rena and Mary, with Rocky, on her way.

So being a man who believed he understood animals, he felt very confident he could help a couple who brought a depressed white husky...

"He's not sleeping, he's not eating, he's not even sniffing stuff," Rena says, from inside the vet. "Please help him," Mary adds, "It's breaking our hearts to see him like this." Dr. Kagan nods before getting down on his knees to look at Rocky in the eyes. He speaks in a very slow and dull tone, "Hello, Rocky. I'm Dr. Kagan. I hear you're feeling a little sad. It's okay to be sad sometimes, sometimes I'm sad too. But let's figure out why you're feeling so sad." Dr. Kagan gets back on his feet as Rena asks, "Well?" Dr. Kagan replies, "This works better if I work with the entire household. Can I meet with the rest of the family or whoever you spend most your time with?" Mary and Rena look at each other.

We flash to the Belindro house. Rena, Mary, Ben, Liz, Joe, Josh and Dean are all sitting in the living room as a depressed Rocky lies on the floor. "An animal psychologist?" Ben asks with disdain. "That is the stupidest thing I ever heard," Joe adds. "Well he's coming here and wants to asks some questions," Rena explains. "Why us?" Liz asks confused. "Because you're always over here," Mary tells them. "Where is your dad?" Dean asks. "On a trip," Rena explains. There is then a knock at the door, everyone sighs.

...Sadly for Dr. Kagan, not everyone had the ultimate respect for his profession.

We flash to Dr. Kagan standing in front of everyone as he says, "First, I'd like to administer a dog personality profile quiz. Answer the questions on how you think Rocky would answer if he were human." "Oh, boy!" Ben mocks. "Shhh, this isn't a joke!" Mary tells him. "First question: what do you think Rocky's first words would be?" Dr. Kagan asks. "Well I'd hope, 'Give me a breath mint'," Joe mockingly replies. Dr. Kagan gives Joe a glare before continuing, "What do you imagine would be human Rocky's favourite cologne?" "Dior Homme," Rena answers, "It's a little strong but I think Rocky could pull it off." Joe shakes his head, "I think he'd prefer toilet water." "Oh, and same answer for favourite beverage," Ben adds. Ben and Joe burst out laughing. Josh glares over at the two, "Stop it. You're being very rude." "I'm sensing some hostility here?" Dr. Kagan asks. "I just don't see any point to this. What is this telling you about Rocky?" Ben asks. "The point was not to learn about Rocky. But to learn about you," Dr. Kagan explains, "I think I'd like to examine Rocky one on one. Is there a room I can use?" Rena points to an empty room, "Just there." Dr. Kagan takes Rocky into the room.

1 Hour Later

Everyone is still sitting in the living room, looking very bored, as Dr. Kagan and Rocky are still alone in the other room. Joe speaks up, "What the hell are they doing in there?" "He's probably just talking to him," Rena says, "Rocky happens to be very complex and interesting." Ben rolls his eyes, "Remind me to sit beside him at his next dinner party." Dr. Kagan then enters the room, "Well, I have my diagnosis." "Well?" Rena asks. "Rocky is indeed very depressed," Dr. Kagan says, "There is no signs of physical distress. And seeing as how there has been no change to his routine, that means he is reflecting on someone else's unhappiness. Is anyone here suffering from depression?" Everyone looks at each other and then assures him that it isn't them. Dr. Kagan heads for the door, "Well he is getting this from one of you. Please be conscious of how you are in front of him. I'll be back in a few days to check on him." "Thanks," Rena calls after him. Everyone looks at each other.

...And so due to the unhappiness of a dog, my friends began to reflect on their own sorrow and how it may have affected Rocky.

Act I

Ben and the Dog

Ben knocks on the door of the Belindro house. Rena answers, they greet each other, and Rena asks, "So what can I do for you?" "I think I'm going to go back to the river...see if I can find any signs of Emma," Ben says. Rena replies, "Ben, you've been there so many times. The police have checked every part of that river. What do you expect to find?" Ben shrugs, "I don't know....but I need to do something." "So how can I help?" Rena asks. "I was hoping I could borrow Rocky," Ben explains. Rena looks confused, "Why?" "I have some of Emma's old stuff. I thought if Rocky smelled it then maybe he could find something else there," Ben says. Rena doesn't look convinced, "Ben..." "Please, Rena," Ben pleads, "I need to do something." Rena nods, "Okay." Rena returns with Rocky and hands the leads over to Ben, "Look after him." Ben smiles, "I will, Rena. I know how much Rocky means to you. Thank you." Rena closes the door.

We flash to Ben and Rocky by the river. Ben brings out an old cardigan of Emma's that he has and gives it to Rocky to smell. Rocky looks at Ben with great confusion. Ben shouts, "Go, find her!" Rocky continues to stare at Ben as if he's delirious. "Don't you understand?" Ben asks, "Find her!" Ben begins trying to push Rocky in the opposite direction but Rocky doesn't move, sitting still and still staring with confusion. Ben gives up and collapses to the ground beside Rocky. He gives a brief chuckle at himself, before sighing and looking at Rocky with teary eyes, "I don't know what I expected...I just want to find her." Rocky continues to sit with Ben, staring at him, as Ben begins to cry, "There is no finding her...she's gone...she's gone, and I killed her...I killed her...I killed her." Ben is sobbing hard with tears now as he looks at Rocky and asks, "How can I live with myself? What can I ever do that would make up for this?" Ben then lets out another brief chuckle at how crazy he's acting, as he asks, "And why am I talking to a dog?" Ben wipes his teary eyes as he stares into the river and utters, "There is something I need to do."

The scene flashes to Ben approaching a house in Wiksteria. He knocks on the door, and it is answered by William Swift. William looks surprised to see Ben and asks, "What do you want?" Ben says, "Mr Swift, I can't begin to imagine how hard the past few weeks have been for you. And I just wanted to say how sorry I am." William looks at Ben coldly and asks, "Are you sorry because of what I've lost? Or are you sorry because it was you who took her from me?" Ben looks at him with guilt-filled eyes. William shakes his head, "I do not accept your apology. Because of you I will never again hold my daughter in my arms. And because of you I will never walk her down the aisle. Because of you I will never see my princess again. But if robbing her of her life wasn’t enough, you also made the last few months of her time on this planet utterly miserable. Every night she cried herself to sleep. And there was nothing I could do. Because you broke her heart." Ben struggles to speak over his tears, "I'm sorry." "I won't pretend she was completely innocent," William continues, "But from the moment that a father first lays eyes on his daughter, he adores her. Whoever she grows up to be. She makes him feel like Christmas. And in exchange, he makes a promise not to see the mistakes she makes, or secrets she keeps. She was my perfect princess. And you took her from me. And I only hope that one day cold justice makes its way to your door." William continues to stand with a cold face, as Ben backs away and slowly ambles off in sadness.

Act II

Joe and the Dog

Mary is seen walking through the park with Rocky walking beside her on a leash. She then sees Joe, who's sitting on a park bench and looking depressed, and approaches him. "Hey," she says enthusiastically. "Hey," Joe says glumly. "What's up?" Mary asks, sitting down next to him on the bench, causing Rocky to rest on the ground and look up at the saddened Joe. "It's nothing," Joe dismisses. "Uh, I hate it when people do that. They insist nothing's wrong but then end up telling you anyway. So why don't we just cut to the chase?" Mary insists. "Fine..." Joe says, "It's Katie." "What about her?" Mary asks. "She's with Fraser..." Joe adds. "Right... so? Isn't that good?" Mary says, confused. Joe then looks up at her and Mary gives a small gasp, "Oh, my God, you like her! Like, like her like her!" "Yes, like, like her like her!" Joe snaps. "Aw, well this is great! You need to ask her out!" Mary exclaims happily. "Aren't you listening?" Joe asks, "She's with Fraser." "Oh..." Mary says, her grin dropping, "Right. Well, why should that stop you? I still say you go for her." Talking is then heard in the distance and Joe glances to see Katie and Fraser, hand-in-hand, making their way towards the park. "Crap, hide!" Joe exclaims. "Why?" Mary wonders. "Just do it!" Joe exclaims, running off the bench and ducking behind a bush. Confused, Mary casually gets up and crouches down beside him, Rocky still in tow. "Why are we hiding?" Mary whispers. "Because Katie and Fraser are just there," Joe whispers in reply, staring through the bush. "Why does that mean we hide?" "'Cause I really don't wanna talk to her, or... him." Mary then takes a proper look through the bush, "Oh, I'd forgotten what he looked like. Yeah, he's hot, you don't stand a chance." Joe gives her an angry look, to which she defensively replies, "You can't be mad at me, I'm pregnant." Rocky then lets out a very loud bark which causes Katie and Fraser to look in Mary and Joe's direction in confusion, not knowing where the sound came from. However, they soon shrug and continue strolling together, until they exit the park. "Okay, can I stand up now? 'Cause all this crouching isn't good for the baby... probably." Joe then stands up and helps Mary to her feet. "Anyway, I've gotta get Rocky home, so... see you around," Mary says, before leading Rocky out of the park. The dog takes one last look at the still depressed Joe before leaving.

Joe is seen sitting at home when there is suddenly a frantic knock on the door. Curios, he goes to answer it, and an angered Katie storms in. "Fraser is being a total jerk! He keeps insisting that we go camping when I keep telling him that I don't like it! I mean, why should I be berated just because I don't enjoy sleeping on the ground and bugs crawling all over the place and he's an outdoor fanatic? It's totally ridiculous!" Katie sits down, breathing heavily, and Joe, still standing at the door, says, "Please, come in," before closing it. "Sorry to bother you," Katie tells him. "No bother," Joe assures her, "But isn't this the kind of thing that would be better talked about to Liz?" "I don't know, you were just the first person I thought to come to, I guess." At this Joe smiles, and sits down opposite Katie. "So, what's the problem? I didn't quite catch all of the... rant." "Fraser keeps inviting me on all these camping trips and I keep refusing, 'cause I hate camping, and he did it again tonight, and when I told him 'no', he totally flipped! We got in this huge fight and I ended up leaving." "And you thought I'd be able to give you some advice?" "Like I said, you're the first person I thought of," she reminds him, and Joe smiles again. He nonchalantly places his hand on Katie's and tells her, "Well, I've often thought that a good connection is worth taking a bold leap for." Katie smiles at this, and tells him that he's right. "I'm gonna go to Fraser and tell him that I'll go on his stupid camping trip," she announces, happily. "What?" Joe asks bluntly. "You're right, if I'm gonna make this work, I'm gonna have to make some compromises," she says. "No, that's not what I meant! What I meant was, 'If things aren't going your way, leave and let the thing die.'" However, Katie ignores him. "Thanks, Joe," she says, smiling, giving him a hug before leaving the house. Once she does so, Joe sighs miserably.

The next day, Joe is seen answering a call on his cell. "Hello?" he says. "Hi, it's Katie," Katie says on the other line. "Um, hey... How are you?" he asks awkwardly. "Great! I went camping last night with Fraser and it ended up being really fun! Thanks so much for the advice," she tells him. "Great," Joe says in a tone that doesn't support his words, "Glad I could help." "Anyway, gotta go, I'm going to Wiksteria Towers with Fraser," she says cheerily before hanging up. Joe puts his phone in his pocket and kicks a chair across the room.

Act III

Rena and the Dog

Mary walks in through the door of Miguel's mansion with Rocky on his leash. Rena, who's inside, immediately takes Rocky off the leash and begins fussing over him. "Right, well, you two have fun, I'm gonna go take a shower." As Mary makes her way upstairs, Rena goes to sit on the couch, and Rocky jumps up and sits next to him. "Hey boy," Rena says, flicking the channels on the TV. However, he soon decides that nothing good's on and switches it off with a sigh. "Mary's going in for her first sonogram soon," Rena says to Rocky. "I'm still kinda worried about being a dad," he confesses."I just hope this baby ends up alright. I mean, what if it takes after Mary's family and ends up psycho like her dad? Then again, my family wasn't much better..." Rocky looks lazily up at his owner. "What if how my parents raised me rubs off on me? What if I end up like Justine?" Rocky barks a couple times and Rena says, "You're right, I should just go talk to her, you're right boy." And with that, Rena gives Rocky a treat before setting off.

Rena is next seen in the visiting room of a prison, sitting down and lifting a phone off a receiver as Justine, who's on the other side of the glass in an orange jumpsuit, does the same thing. "Hi, honey," Justine says, smiling, "You should visit more." "I visit enough," he says, slightly contemptuously. "So, is there any particular reason for this surprise?" she asks, still happy. "Actually, yes..." Rena says, "Mary, my girlfriend, is pregnant." Justine appears overjoyed, "Oh, that's wonderful!" she exclaims, "When's the wedding?" "Wedding?" Rena asks, confused, "There... there isn't gonna be a wedding, mom. But that's not what I'm here to talk to you about." "Oh?" Justine asks, her smile fading slightly. "I got thinking earlier... what if how you raised me... rubbed off on me, and I ended up acting the same towards my child..." "What do you mean how I raised you? I was an excellent mother," she proclaims. "Besides the odd baby-murder..." Rena mutters. "I did what I did for the good of my family," she states calmly, "Adopting you and raising you of my own, it gave you a home, spared me prison and your father embarrassment. I did you a favor," she insists. "You know what?" Rena says, "I don't think coming here has been as comforting as I thought it might be. Bye, Justine." "Bye? No, no, don't leave! We can talk about other things! Please, just stay a little—" However, Rena places the phone back on the receiver and walks away.

Later, Rena is seen walking Rocky through a graveyard. They soon stop at a grave that reads "Rudolfo Abelho" and Rena sits down beside it, maintaining a firm grasp on Rocky's leash. "Hey, dad," Rena says. "Haven't really been visiting you as much as I should, so you won't know that Mary's pregnant. I've been fretting lately about whether mom's madness affected me in any way, and then I thought, you were always a great dad. Whatever you did to aid mom's... incident, you were just protecting your wife, and I get it. I hope I can be that good a husband one day," Rena says, smiling. "Anyway, if this child ends up half as good as you, I'll know that I'll have done a good job. And hey, if it comes down to genes, my other parents were great people. Speaking of which, if you see Christina up there, tell her I said 'hi'." Rocky watches as his master sheds a tear, and Rena soon stands up and accompanies his dog out of the graveyard.

Act IV

Josh and the Dog

Inside the living room of Dean's grandparents' home, Dean and Josh are sitting. Josh is telling him about his gruesome discovery at the park, "It was so horrible...to see a girl just dead." "What did the police say?" Dean asks. "She was choked, but they don't know with what...apparently something was forced down her windpipe," Josh tells him. "That's horrible," Dean comments. "And her legs were broken," Josh adds, "The police said it was done perfectly...with two quick swipes to the precise spots...there was no savage beating." "What does that mean?" Dean asks. "It means the person knew what they were doing. That it wasn't an angry outburst...but planned," Josh explains. "That's scary. So they think this person could strike again?" Dean wonders. Josh doesn't answer. Dean asks him, "Josh, you alright?" "It was Alex," Josh utters. Dean exclaims, "What?!" "There's something creepy and dark about him...and now I know what. He was on top of the body when I found him. He said he knew who did it and then refused to elaborate. I know he did it," Josh says. Dean looks doubtful, "There is something off about Alex...but a killer? That's a little too much to believe. I think you're stressed about the whole new thing family thing." Josh looks annoyed and stands, "You don't believe me?" Dean shrugs, confused at Josh's annoyance. "Fine," Josh mutters, before heading for door. Dean shouts after him but Josh leaves, slamming the door behind him.

The scene cuts to dinner at the Mannings, where the whole family and Dean are present. Joanna is tinkering with the air-conditioning, as Ted watches and wipes his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief, "Joanna, dear, what is going on with the AC?" "Something's jammed inside it," Joanna tells him. "Well while you fix that, why don't we move to somewhere cooler...like Africa," Ted says, sweating with the heat. "It's not that hot," Joanna tells him. "Not that hot?! When this kid woke up this morning he was white," Ted points to Dean, jokingly. Dean doesn't look very amused but Ted gives a smile assuring it's all in good fun. Ted says in his very southern accent, "I apologise for the discomfort, Dean, when you're here as a guest inside our home." "It's alright," Dean tells him. Ted looks over to the sullen looking Josh and says, "You alright there, Joshy? You're even quieter than Alex." Suddenly Josh stands up, "No, I'm not alright! A girl was killed in the park! And her killer is sitting here eating dinner as if nothing happened!" He points at Alex who looks back confused, "Me?" Joanna looks over angry, "Josh, how could you say such a thing?!" "I know..." Josh begins. But Joanna interrupts, "Enough! You will never say such a thing again! Now apologise to your bother, right now!" Josh looks angry and then walks away from the table, exiting the room. Ted watches him leave and looks unaffected by Josh's accusations, as he forces himself to say, "What an imagination."

An angry Josh knocks on Rena's door. As soon as the door is opened, Josh barges right in and collapses on the couch. Rena, still standing at the door, utters, "Well, come on in." "I hate people!" Josh shouts. Rena sighs to himself, as he sits down too, "So what's up?" "What's the point in telling you? You won't believe me! No one will! No one will listen!" Josh whines. Rena looks over to Rocky and says, "Well there is someone here who's a great listener." "Who?" Josh asks. Rena looks over at Rocky. Josh looks unamused, "The dog? I'm not talking to a stupid dog!" Rena stands and heads to the kitchen, "Suit yourself...he believes anything you tell him though." Rena leaves the room with a smile, leaving Josh sitting with Rocky. Rocky jumps onto the sofa beside Josh and stares at him. Josh asks, "What?! You want to know what's bothering me? Well, I'm talking to a smelly carpet with legs, that bothers me!" Rocky continues to stare at Josh. "I guess," Josh continues, "I know that Alex didn't really kill that girl...I just want to know what it is that's so strange about him. He creeps me out." Suddenly Josh realises what he needs to do, "Maybe I should start doing some digging on Alex...beginning with who his parents are." Josh smiles at Rocky.

Act V

Rocky

Back in the present, everyone is still crowded around Rocky in Rena's living room. "This is all my fault," Rena says, "I shouldn't have been talking to him about my parents..." "No, it's my fault," Ben insists, "I took him looking for Emma and got mad when nothing was achieved. What was I expecting?" "No, I'm to blame," Joe interjects, "He saw me at the park when I was moping..." "No, it's me, I got him all depressed with my suspicions," Josh says. "No, I'm his owner, I should take responsibility for him," Rena states. "But we've all contributed," Ben adds. "Some of us more than others," Joe says glumly. Josh then says, "I agree, you guys are to blame. I only talked to him for, what, thirty seconds?" And as an argument breaks out over who's to blame, Mary exclaims, "Where did Rocky go?!" The schoolboys fall silent, realizing that Rocky is no longer standing where he was, however, before further inspection is needed, a loud squeaking sound is heard in the room. "Here he is," Liz says, pointing to behind the couch where Rocky is chewing on a rubber bone, which is emitting the aforementioned squeaks. "His favorite toy..." Rena utters, "I haven't been able to find that for like a week." "That?" Joe says, "I saw that on a flower pot on my way in, I brought it inside with me..." "That's why he's been depressed? Seriously?" Josh asks. "Makes more sense than the 'doctor's' explanation," Ben points out, adding air-quotes to his sentence. Looking at how happy Rocky is with his chew-toy and the simplicity of the solution to the dog's problem, everyone in the room begins to laugh.

And that is how my friends began to reflect on the sadness in their lives. Joe was worried about how to get together with the girl he adored...

Joe is walking home, he stops and looks across the street to see Katie with Fraser. He looks down glumly.

Rena was concerned with how his unborn child would turn out...

Rena is sitting on the living room couch alone, after everyone's left.

Josh was bothered by the secrets of his mysterious step-brother...

Josh returns home where he is met and hugged by Joanna. He looks up the staircase to see Alex standing and staring down at him.

And Ben...

Ben returns home. He looks down on the ground to find a letter that someone's posted through the door. The letter is unmarked and unaddressed.

...well....

Ben opens the letter. It reads: What you did was awful. But what goes around and comes around. And it's coming to your door.